Saturday, August 6, 2016

Oregon Likes Waterfalls (And I Do, Too)

I was reminded today that waking up and getting up are two
completely different things.

Around seven in the morning, my eyes opened and I became
aware of reality again. I stared directly at the doors for a moment before my
eyes shut again, forgetting the world. Eventually, though, after mindlessly
tossing around on this memory foam, I got up half past nine.

Sam (my brother’s girlfriend that I’ve previously mentioned)
and I took to the campsite showers. It was my first time visiting those since
we first arrived. I investigated them only to see large mosquitos hanging on
the walls, but, this time, everything seemed fine.

We took off on our adventure for today, with a plan in mind
to see as many as Oregon’s waterfalls as we could. Our first stop, however, was
at a gas station.

While there, we witnessed a bizarre sight. Out of the two
pumps, one was previously being occupied while the other was being pulled into.
However, the driver decided to back into his spot, only to park himself closer
to the building than the pump. It’s hard to explain, really, but I thought I’d
try. Just visualize it as best as possible, will you?

A man at the gas station told my father of an alternative
route, so we proceeded down the way that was instructed. There, we met dirt
roads and people applying pavement and even a helicopter right above our heads.
It was quite a bumpy ride, and one we learned to avoid for the remainder of our
stay.

That eventually led us to Vista House, which turned out to
be an extremely beautiful location.

A short distance away from the actual Vista House was a
grassy area holding a singular table, just waiting for our arrival. We enjoyed
our lunch there as we got to look out at the scenery.

Once we finished, our journey with waterfalls officially
began! In total, we explored five different locations that housed exceptional
views.

First, we stopped by Latourell Falls. As streams of water
fell through the cracks high above our heads, a young boy attempted to make
friends with Lacey. However, Lacey is extremely shy, so this made for a
difficult task. She huddled in the corner as he pet her.

Kyle, Sam, and I decided to travel a little farther, looking
to get a closer view of the waterfall. We ended up going further than
originally intended, due to the lack of directional signs to lead us through
the way. However, we were able to stop and enjoy the falls one by time before trekking
back down.

Our second stop was at Bridal Veil Falls, which turned out
to be just as pretty. It took a small hike to find the falls themselves, but it
was worth it.

Next, we arrived at Wakheena Falls. After hiking at two
separate locations, it was nice to have a spot where we didn’t have to go too
far. We sat still beside the end of the waterfall, embracing the cool air that
had sprouted from it. And, shocker, it was a very pretty sight.

Multnomah Falls was the next destination, which turned out
to be the most popular. There, Kyle, Sam, and I climbed up a short trail to
find ourselves on a bridge closer to the falls. It was refreshing to see.

The last of the falls was Horsetail Falls. We didn’t exit
the car to see this one, but we did stop by so I could take another beautiful
picture!

The Latourell Falls (top left), Bridal Veil Falls (top right), Multnomah Falls (bottom left), and Wakheena Falls (bottom right) are just a small part of the variety of falls you can see in Oregon.

After our stops, we traveled a little bit further down. We
crossed the Bridge of the Gods, which had another fantastic looking view. Even
better, though, we found ourselves in Washington. I couldn’t help but stare in
awe at the greenery and the waters of the river.

If it wasn’t for our stomachs, I would’ve stayed there the
rest of the night. My father wanted to see if a specific barbecue restaurant
closer to our campsite was open, and, as it turned out, it’s closed on Mondays!
Suffice to say, there was no barbecue for us tonight.

As we wandered into another small town, we had learned
that most there were limited potions. Soon, we found ourselves at a grocery
store where we finally came to a conclusion: specials.

While this a simple Myres’ family dish, it is one of my
favorites! We got back to the trailer and enjoyed this special dinner.

Shortly after, everyone found themselves exhausted enough to
pass out for the night.